Forestburg junior golfer wins Titleist Order of Merit

Five years ago we reported on eight-year-old Jace Shannon competing in a world junior golf championship in Pasadena, now, at 14, he has won the 2018 Titleist Order of Merit in the McLennan Ross Junior Golf Tour.

Shannon attended tournaments across Alberta this year, and had secured the top spot for his age group before even playing the Tour Championship at Wolf Creek.

Out of three Junior tours in Alberta, the McLennan Ross, separate from the Maple Leaf Junior Tour and the Canadian Junior Golf Association, represents more experienced golfers, with more for the older youth golfers.

“The other two seem more geared towards younger players, and just getting them involved in golfing, while McLennan Ross is more competitive,” says Jace’s mother, Paris.

Shannon even has a golf coach, who works out of the Wolf Creek course. “There’s no coaching provided under the tour,” Paris says. “It’s every man for himself.”

The McLennan Ross tour has been around for 20-plus years, and these young golfers play at set courses, often private courses, during the season.

Shannon is one of few rural players, he says, “Junior golfing is not as strong here.” Paris says that she was pretty encouraged by a recent photo of junior golfers competing in Sedgewick.

Shannon played 11 tournaments this season, winning six. During one of his wins, when he competed in Barrhead at the end of June, he edged out 30 other juniors from all age brackets. (Born from 1999 to 2004.)

In his first year of competing in the Battle River School Division Regional Jr. High Golf Tournament, in Grade 7, he won that, too.

At the Alberta Junior Provincials in Sundre this summer, Shannon’s goal was to make the cut, which he did. In a field of golfers aged 18-and-under, he was the youngest player, and ended up tied for 12th place overall.

His handicap sits at 6.5, keeping in mind that the tour only recognizes handicaps from rated courses in Alberta, those same private courses that are built specifically to challenge golfers at the highest skill level.

Jace says he’ll average over 200 games of golf this season, and will continue with virtual-golf type training this winter with a pro.

He says his favourite is the short game, chipping and putting, and that he’s good at it.

He hasn’t had a hole in one, yet, but there’s plenty of time for that.

There is an Alberta Junior Golf team, and he’d like someday to play on that, and to compete at the Canadian Junior Golf championship. Maybe, even someday, he’d like to play on an Olympic team.

“I’ll golf as long as I continue to enjoy it.”

The touring can assist golfers into turning golf into a profession, but so far in Alberta, there are not any colleges or universities offering golf scholarships, although Red Deer College does have a golf team. Jace has actually received an invitation to attend a golf camp at Red Deer College.

Paris says they may not have a scholarship, but she thinks they may at least have scouts.

Paris says Jace, and the family, have made some good friends on the golf circuit. Jace used to have some fellow junior golfers in Forestburg, but they’ve moved on to high school now.

Paris says Alberta Golf has indicated that they want to get more involved in all the junior programs next year, so she’s interested to see what that might mean.

Players must purchase a membership in any or all of the associations where they want to compete, and must pay entry fees for every tournament, plus travel and other expenses.

This will be Jace’s first year not playing hockey, so he’s not sure what to expect. He’s played that since he was three-and-a-half, and enjoyed his time in goal especially.

This year, with no team, he’s decided to spend the winter golfing, and he’ll spend more time with a coach, to improve his already terrific game.

He says one of the best things about living in Forestburg is that he can go on the course practically whenever he wants, compared to city kids who never have the opportunity, or can only golf at specific times.

His favourite golfer is Brooks Koepka, PGA and US Open winner in 2018.

Jace also enjoys volleyball, basketball, and badminton.